New SBA executive director familiar with the job

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Tuesday was the first day on the job for new state School Building Authority Executive Director David Sneed.

Sneed, though, knows his way around the SBA offices. He worked there for 22 years before leaving in 2012 to accept another job. He said he is happy to be back and ready to take on the challenge of funding and building schools across West Virginia.

“I’ve been gone a couple years, but a lot of things have happened. I’m spending a lot of time spinning my head, actually, trying to get caught back up, trying to see where we are as far as immediate problems and long range will come later, if we have time,” explained Sneed.

The new executive director has the qualifications for the job. He was an assistant superintendent in Kanawha County before he was tapped back in 1989 to help develop the SBA’s guidelines and procedures. From 1990 to 2012, he worked for the SBA helping run the day to day operations. And for the past two years, he’s worked with a project and construction company.

Sneed said he has a firm grasp on school construction from the educator’s point of view as well as the SBA and the companies building and renovating those structures.

As for his biggest challenge, he said it all comes down to finances.

“We’re always looking at ways to build schools for less money. I think that’s a big challenge. Keeping up with inflation is always difficult with the fixed income we have,” Sneed said.

The executive director said he’ll be keeping a lot of the changes made over the past year by former SBA Executive Director Mark Manchin. Sneed would also like to put his own stamp on the job. For now, it’s keeping the momentum going.

“Basically, we plan and we design and we build schools. That part of it really won’t change,” stressed Sneed.

During the past SBA funding cycle, the Authority handed out $43 million for new school construction and renovations.